


A Midnight Meeting

by OhanaHoku



Series: The Raven-Haired Warrior, A Raven-Haired Child [10]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Child Abuse, Child Soldiers, Childhood Trauma, Conditioning, Gen, Hurt Merlin (Merlin), Merlin Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Merlin Needs a Hug (Merlin), PTSD, Past Child Abuse, Protective Kilgharrah (Merlin), Protective Merlin (Merlin), Stressed Merlin (Merlin), in his own way, meaning he's not very helpful, merlin has issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:22:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26415619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhanaHoku/pseuds/OhanaHoku
Summary: Merlin has made the decision to protect Mordred, but not everyone agrees with his decision.~Part 10 of the series~Series Summary: To protect Mordred, Merlin confesses to having been a child soldier under Cenred's rule before coming to Camelot. This causes ripple effects throughout their lives that culminate into a tidal wave of disaster for the kingdom and its resident warlock.
Relationships: Gaius & Merlin (Merlin), Gaius & Mordred (Merlin), Kilgharrah & Merlin (Merlin)
Series: The Raven-Haired Warrior, A Raven-Haired Child [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764406
Comments: 20
Kudos: 152





	A Midnight Meeting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FandomRandomLandom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomRandomLandom/gifts).



> This part of the series is dedicated to FandomRandomLandom for their support of this story. I'm afraid Kilgharrah's still around! XD
> 
> No TWs for this one.

“Where are you going?” Mordred asked that night as Merlin told Gaius he had to go out for a bit. The sun had set, and Merlin had already taken care of Arthur for the night.

“Out,” Merlin curtly answered as he cleaned up the room a bit for Gaius before leaving.

Mordred looked to Gaius for a better answer, but the old man barely even glanced at him before licking his finger to turn the page of the tome he was reading by the fire.

“Don’t wait up for me, I may be a while,” Merlin said as he finished and headed for the door.

“Be careful, Merlin. Have a good chat.” Gaius told him, laughing as Merlin made a face at him before leaving.

Mordred turned back to Gaius as the warlock left. “Who is he going to see?”

Gaius merely smiled at the boy. “Let’s just say, he’s going to see an old friend.”

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

“It is good to see you, young warlock.” Kilgharrah greeted as he landed in the open field.

“I wish I could say the same,” Merlin told him, sighing. “What do you want?”

“It is not what I want, Merlin, but what I have felt that concerns me.” The dragon murmured, making the man roll his eyes.

“Can you never get to the point? I have enough to deal with right now, so just tell me why you needed to talk.” Merlin said, frustrated by the cryptic way Kilgharrah spoke.

The magical beast hummed, tilting his head slightly as he gazed down at him. “Have you handled the young druid boy, Emrys?” He asked.

A dark scowl fell over the warlock’s face. “I’ve already told you that I’m not going to kill Mordred.” He growled. “And don’t call me that!”

The dragon blinked, his head rearing back slightly, eyes widening in surprise. “Then, the boy lives?” His head tilted again in thought.

“Yes, he lives,” Merlin said softly. “What is this about, Kilgharrah?”

He seemed to consider the man for a moment before answering. “I have felt a stirring in the flow of time and destiny. I do not know what it means, but I had hoped that by killing the druid boy, you had managed to evade the fateful vision of Arthur’s death.”

Merlin’s shoulders slumped, the man sighing as he moved to sit down in the grass. “And since I didn’t kill him, it’s more likely that I’ve only pushed us closer to that outcome.” He supposed, rubbing at his eyes, more tired now than anything.

“Perhaps. I’m afraid only time will tell, but I urge you to reconsider your decision about the druid boy. Arthur cannot die, or Albion will never see its restoration.” He reminded him before spreading his broad wings and taking off.

The warlock sighed as he watched him fly away, running a hand through his hair worriedly. Had he really made things worse by allowing Mordred to live?

Frustrated, the warlock shook his head, trying to rid his mind of the worry plaguing it. Mordred was alive, and he was going to stay that way. Merlin had made his decision, and he was going to stand by it. Mordred was under his protection now, and not even the threat of Arthur’s death would change that.

But something else was worrying him. What if helping Mordred wasn’t what had changed things?

What if it was Merlin’s admission that had?

**Author's Note:**

> Word Count - 570. This one feels a little forced. I haven't written a scene with Kilgharrah in it before, so I'm not sure how well it came out. Let me know what you think, I'd appreciate any constructive criticism you have!
> 
> Check out my [tumblr](https://ohanahoku-ao3.tumblr.com/) where I'm posting fic recommendations between updates!


End file.
